Brendan Venter

Saracens rugby director Brendan Venter insisted the English Premiership title was within his side's range after they stayed top of the table with a 15-13 win over Sale. Saturday's success, which saw former Springbok stand-off Derick Hougaard kick all of Saracens' points with five penalties, preserved the north London club's unbeaten league record this term, which now stands at nine wins and one draw from 10 games. However, the winners of the English title are determined by a series of play-off matches rather than the side that tops the table at the end of the regular season. Even so Venter, himself a former Springbok, ... Read Full Story

Saracens South African director of rugby Brendan Venter admitted the club's ambitious decision to play South Africa at Wembley paid handsome dividends after seeing his side topple the world champions 24-23 on Tuesday. The Springboks blew an 18-6 half-time lead at England's home of football as they suffered a third successive defeat on their European tour. Derick Hougaard was the hero for Sarries, the former South Africa fly-half landing a 75th-minute drop-goal to take his personal haul to 14 points. On an amazing night for Saracens, one of their fans, Stuart Timmer, scooped a cheque for 250,000 pounds after landing a 35-yard kick against ... Read Full Story

Saracens made it seven straight wins in the English Premiership as they stayed top and maintained their unbeaten start to the league season with a 12-11 win away to Bath. This defeat was Bath's fifth loss in seven Premiership matches and although a late try by captain Michael Claasens, following penalties by Ryan Davis and Jack Cuthbert set up a close finish, Saracens had done enough. Tries from flanker Andy Saull and wing Noah Cato helped give Sarries a 12-3 half-time lead and they held out for nine minutes of injury-time a man down after replacement prop Rhys Gill was sin-binned. "That game could ... Read Full Story

England captain Steve Borthwick cannot wait to join forces again with World Cup-winning outside-half Jonny Wilkinson during next month's Test campaign at Twickenham. Martin Johnson is due to name a revised elite squad for the November internationals against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand here on Monday but the England manager's plans have been disrupted by a litany of injuries, with forwards Julian White and Nick Easter joining a lengthy sick list on Saturday. Ironically it is Wilkinson, whose career has been blighted by a succession of injuries since he landed the winning drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final, when Johnson was England's captain, ... Read Full Story

Sale Sharks the latest side to face a daunting trip to Vicarage Road to take on undefeated Saracens and odds of 9/4 say that they can beat the home side who are 1/3 to win yet again. Sale managed to record their first away win against Leeds last time out which ended a 10 game winless streak on the road but how this will differ - going from a trip to the struggling bottom side to the undefeated leaders of the Guinness Premiership . Sarries welcome back Noah Cato on the wing and he is unsurprisingly favourite with Chris Wyles to score the first ... Read Full Story